Rajiv Gandhi’s role in Boeing deal
cheap moncler The recent Kissinger Cables released moncler sale by Wikileaks might have suggested that former prime cheap moncler minister, Rajiv Gandhi, could have been an “entrepreneur” for Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab Scania for its Viggen fighter aircraft. But, Gandhi was, perhaps, more than just that. cheap moncler
The Boeing deal, concluded in February 1977, was valued at Rs 30.55 https://www.mymoncleroutlet.com crore (Rs 305.5 million). The Kissinger Cables, containing American diplomatic messages, had assessed only Gandhi’s “family” connections as valuable in aircraft procurement deals.
moncler sale outlet The Shah Commission report, on the other hand, in the section dealing with the Boeing aircraft purchase, goes a step ahead to point out that “the visit of Rajiv Gandhi to the office of the chairman of Indian Airlines where he was shown the financial projections by the director of finance, apparently under the instructions of the chairman, was a procedure which was totally outside the ordinary course of business”. moncler sale outlet
The report notes Gandhi was ushered into the office of the IA chairman as an “Avro Commander” and “son of Indira Gandhi”. He was then working for IA and joined politics much later after the death of his brother, Sanjay, in 1980. The procedure moncler outlet for procurement of the three Boeing aircraft broke all standard rules and requirements, the commission had concluded.
moncler outlet online Not only was the cheap moncler outlet decision to zero in on three Boeing 737 aircraft at a total cost of Rs 30.55 crore taken without the mandatory “system study”, the letter of intent was also sent to Boeing, and an order placed subsequently, after the Cabinet overruled objections raised by the Public Investment Board. moncler outlet online
moncler outlet The commission records from the affidavit of N K Mukarji, the then civil aviation secretary, that “Prime Minister (Indira Gandhi) was under the impression that the ministry of tourism and civil aviation was obstructing the purchase of the Boeing 737 aircraft”. Then on, efforts were made to “haste(n) in rushing through the deal”. moncler outlet
moncler jackets outlet The story begins in May 1976, when a special group was constituted to study how to augment the IA aircraft fleet. moncler jackets outlet
Click NEXT to read more.
moncler outlet sale The tentative timeline fixed for induction of the aircraft was from October 1976 to March 1979. Boeing’s competitors were the F 27 and British Aircraft Corporation’s BAC111, which had completed route testing, whereas “Boeing 737 was considered on the basis of technical data supplied by the manufacturer but without any route testing”. moncler outlet sale
In August 1976, therefore, it was decided that an Interline Committee would go into the details and study these proposals. However, in September 1976, even before the committee could come up with its findings, a meeting took place in the office of A H moncler mens jackets Mehta, the then acting chairman of IA, where Moncler Outlet Rajiv Gandhi was present. Also present were Kirpal Chand IA’s director (finance), and A M Kapoor, IA’s director (operations).
moncler sale The commission observed there were “conflicting versions as to how Rajiv Gandhi happened to be there at the meeting”. According to the IA chairman, it was Kapoor who rang him up requesting to bring along with him an “Avro Commander” to discuss certain technical and maintenance problems. However, he (Mehta) noted the Avro Commander who accompanied Kapoor happened to be Capt Rajiv Gandhi. moncler sale
But Kapoor gave a slightly different version of the meeting, according to the commission. According to that submission, “Rajiv Gandhi was already moncler outlet online in the room of the IA Chairman when Kapoor walked in” and was shown financial projections by the director (finance) Kirpal Chand.
cheap moncler jackets sale The Shah Commission report also brings out another set of conflicting versions on the sequence of events. Chand, while testifying before the commission as a witness, said he had shown the financial figures to Gandhi at the instance of the IA chairman. In his submission, however, the chairman said he “did not remember moncler outlet store having given any such directions to the director (finance) to show the financial projections to Gandhi”. cheap moncler jackets sale
moncler factory outlet It is significant that Kapoor, who according to Mehta brought Gandhi along with him moncler sale outlet to the meeting, was reported to have said that “he did not understand why there was so much delay in the progress of the case dealing with the purchase of the Boeing aircraft, which. were operational and technically superior”. moncler factory outlet
moncler jacket sale Gandhi’s presence in the procurement process ends at this point, according to the account of the Shah Commission. But that the deal came under political pressure was clear from subsequent recording of witnesses in the commission’s report. moncler jacket sale
On October 29, 1976, N K Mukarji received a phone call from P N Dhar, secretary to the prime minister, Indira Gandhi. The Interline Committee had not finalised its views by then, though the September meeting in Mehta’s room, where Rajiv Gandhi had been shown the “financial projections”, had already taken place.
Click NEXT to read more.
moncler outlet jackets According to Mukarji, Dhar had “conveyed to him that it was the prime minister’s impression that the tourism and civil aviation ministry was obstructing the purchase of Boeing 737 aircraft by Indian Airlines”. moncler outlet jackets
cheap moncler outlet Mukarji wrote back to Dhar the same day that there was no proposal about the purchase of aircraft by IA pending with the ministry, but the matter had been referred to an Interline Committee and that it had been decided at a meeting chaired by Raj Bahadur, the then civil aviation and tourism minister, earlier the same day, that the deadline for the Boeing offer would be extended cheap moncler coats from the end of October to December 31, 1976. cheap moncler outlet
The same day, Bahadur called Mukarji to attend a meeting where Mehta and Chand were also present. While the meeting was on, the civil aviation tourism minister received a call from R K Dhawan, then additional private secretary to the prime minister; and the minister was heard saying: “Yes, Dhawan sahib, I am going into the matter with my officers, who are with moncler outlet sale me.”
This was the meeting where Mehta suggested a letter of intent be placed on Boeing before its latest offer expired on November 1, 1976. Not surprisingly, the following day, the IA management sought permission to issue a letter of intent to Boeing for the purchase of three Boeing 737 aircraft, pending the receipt of the recommendations of the Interline Committee and the final decision by the IA board.
moncler outlet store “This letter was actually handed over to the secretary at a meeting held on October 30, 1976, and it was agreed after discussion that the requisite letter of intent could be issued, subject to the condition that it did not involve any commitment for purchase of aircraft,” the commission’s report observed. moncler outlet store
But things moved really fast; just three days later, on November 3, the Interline Committee recommended the purchase of Boeing 737 aircraft. And, by the third week of the same month, the IA board, too, had approved the selection and sought the government’s approval.
However, trouble started thereafter. Already, Nitin Desai, consultant in the Project Appraisal Division of the Planning Commission cheap moncler sale at that time, had insisted on a system study report cheap moncler jackets on the suitability of Boeing 737 aircraft for IA. At the meetings of the Public Investment Board on January 10 and 13, 1977, it was decided a system study should be undertaken and completed by IA by the end of February 1977.
cheap moncler jackets This upset the top management of the airline and also the new civil aviation and tourism minister, K Raghuramaiah, who had taken charge of the ministry on December 24, 1976. cheap moncler jackets
moncler outlet uk Click NEXT to read more. moncler outlet uk
The Shah Commission report notes that Raghuramaiah, was “visibly annoyed over the postponement of the decision to purchase the Boeing aircraft”.
Raghuramaiah also admitted to the commission that monlcer down jackets he had been directed by Dhawan to look into the matter urgently and what emanated from Dhawan was taken as “emanating from the prime minister”. He went on to add that as minister in charge of parliamentary affairs in his earlier role, he had “obtained the resignations of Uma Shankar Diskhit, Swaran Singh, Raj Bahadur” and a number of other ministers just because Dhawan had told him to do so”.
